Where to Go

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thankfully for all of his fans, Hayao Miyazaki never means it when he says he's going to retire, or we wouldn't now have one of his sweetest movies ever, Ponyo.

Description (from IMDB): The son of a sailor, 5-year old Sosuke lives a quiet life on an oceanside cliff with his mother Lisa. One fateful day, he finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle on the beach and upon rescuing her, names her Ponyo. But she is no ordinary goldfish. The daughter of a masterful wizard and a sea goddess, Ponyo uses her father's magic to transform herself into a young girl and quickly falls in love with Sosuke, but the use of such powerful sorcery causes a dangerous imbalance in the world. As the moon steadily draws nearer to the earth and Ponyo's father sends the ocean's mighty waves to find his daughter, the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to save the world and fulfill Ponyo's dreams of becoming human.

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Hayao Miyazaki is one of the best creators of anime out there. Which is probably why Disney pounced at a chance to sign on with him. His movies are creative and often thought-provoking with animation so beautiful, it should be classified as artwork. My favorite of his movies, Howl's Moving Castle, is probably his best work so far. His newest movie, Ponyo, is also a success.

I saw this movie with my friends--the same friends who introduced me to Miyazaki's films in the first place--and we all loved it. While it is not one of his best in terms of animation, Ponyo is probably his most family-friendly movie since Kiki's Delivery Service. The two main characters, Ponyo and Sosuke, are adorable, and the storyline is neither too simple nor too complex, making it perfect for all ages. Miyazaki also interjected some of his own opinions and humor into this film; just watch the scenes with females driving (I don't think Miyazaki appreciates women drivers).

I cannot wait for this movie to come out on DVD, so the rest of my family can see it. A